Topic of the practice

Integration in society, social employment, inclusion and social participation, capacity building
A project dealing with social employment of groups that do not easily find a job in the usual economic environment, thus providing social integration and technical capacity building that can be used for eventual new employment outside the museum and contributing to valorise the cultural and creative sector as an educative and inclusive sector.

Good Practice Information

The Dr. Guislain Museum wishes through its exhibitions to open debate on social issues and wants to fight any form of exclusion. The museum wants to raise the question on ‘what is normal and what is abnormal?’ and wishes to improve social awareness. The museum wants to break down the taboo that exists in our society on the mental disease and wants to be a meeting point for people with different points of view and for exchanging knowledge on the subject. The keyword in the museumteam is ‘diversity’. Some staff members have a different cultural background, others have psychiatric or neurological problems or are physically handicapped. The museum strives to offer technical capacity building and job opportunities to a socially vulnerable group. It also wishes to stimulate social integration: through social employment they are able to work in a stable work surroundings and take part in social life.
Budget: ½ of the salary of 1 fulltime employee.
Benificiaries:
1)Employees who should be able to find a job in the regular job circuit after the social employment: employees who receive their salary from the OCMW and people who are at least two years unemployed, older (+ 45) or low-skilled employees.
2)Employees who are able to work in the regular job circuit because of the social support and guidance they receive: physically handicapped people.
3)Employees who cannot work in the regular job market and who the museum offers a useful daytime activity: former prisoners, former and actual psychiatric patients, people with an alternative punishment, allochthonous people, forensic psychiatric patients and people who are disabled.

Evidence of success

For the museum: a perfect way to find good personnel, the inexpensive salaries and the fact that they can really contribute to the museum workings.
For the regular museum workers: a perfect opportunity to learn to work with a variety of people.
For the social employees: a chance to gain work experience in order to find more easily a permanent job and job opportunities to people who cannot find a job in the regular job circuit. The possibility to work as a volunteer in the museum also contributes to the rebuilding of the self-image of the social employee.
For the neighbourhood: most of the social employees live close to the museum, so through social employment the museum tries to improve the economical situation of the local area.

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